Abstract
This study aimed to identify the prevalence and distribution pattern of Cerebrovascular Accident on elderly attended at the Clínica-Escola de Fisioterapia (Physical Therapy School Clinic) of the Universidade Estadual do Sudoeste da Bahia. It's a descriptive cross-sectional study with retrospective approach from August 2005 to August 2006. Forty-eight records of male and female patients with Cerebrovascular Accident were analyzed, aged 60 years or older, through observation of 120 records of patients attended within the same period. Through data analysis, it was observed that among the cases of Cerebrovascular Accident, 52.1% were female; 43.75% were in the age group of 60-69 years; 39.58% were retired; 64% of women lived without a mate, while 73.91% of men lived with a mate. Men showed higher sedentarism rates (69.56%), alcohol abuse (39.13%) and smoking (39.13%); and for both sexes, the most common family histories were hypertension and cerebrovascular accident. This study found a high prevalence of Cerebrovascular Accident among the elderly, besides of great distribution of risk factors and family history. Under this perspective, preventive strategies to the maintenance of the independence and quality of life of the elderly must be created.
Key words:
Aged; Stroke; Cross-Sectional Studies; Epidemiology Descriptive; Retrospective Studies